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Odisha FC’s chance of coming back to winning ways was dashed by a Nerijus Valskis free header about 20 minutes from full time as Chennaiyin FC held the Kalinga Warriors to a 2-2 draw in their Indian Super League match at Tilak Maidan Stadium in Goa on Wednesday.
Thus, sharing the spoils in both sides’ 17th match of the league, Odisha stayed put at seventh position on the table with 22 points while the Chennai-based club remained a rung below having two points less.
Scoring wise the match witnessed a seesaw battle as both sides went ahead and equalized once each during the 90 minutes of play.
Rahim Ali gave Chennaiyin an early lead just two minutes into the match when he scored at right post from close range following a free-kick by Valskis from outside the box. After the early setback it took some time for Odisha to regroup and the hosts upped the ante in search of an equalizer which came in the 18th minute.
The build-up for the goal was perfectly set with midfielder Isaac Chhakchhuak forwarding the ball for Javi Hernandez. The Spanish playmaker played a one-two with Brazilian Jonathas de Jesus before slotting home a clinical left-footed finish at the top-left corner of the goal giving Chennaiyin custodian Debjit Majumder absolutely no chance.
Both teams’ search for a lead in the first half didn’t bear any fruit and it was only six minutes after the change of sides that the hosts went ahead when Jonathas wrote his name on the scoresheet following some repeated failed attempts by his teammates at Chennaiyin goal from a melee.
However, the joy of keeping their nose ahead stayed only till the 69th minute when Lithuanian frontman Valskis brought parity for the second time in the match with a perfect header to beat the Juggernauts keeper Arshdeep Singh at right post from near the six-yard box.
Search for the winner came very few and far between in the last 20 minutes as the match ended all square to give the sides just a point each from the game, deterring their chances of making playoffs from here.
Thus, sharing the spoils in both sides’ 17th match of the league, Odisha stayed put at seventh position on the table with 22 points while the Chennai-based club remained a rung below having two points less.
Scoring wise the match witnessed a seesaw battle as both sides went ahead and equalized once each during the 90 minutes of play.
Rahim Ali gave Chennaiyin an early lead just two minutes into the match when he scored at right post from close range following a free-kick by Valskis from outside the box. After the early setback it took some time for Odisha to regroup and the hosts upped the ante in search of an equalizer which came in the 18th minute.
The build-up for the goal was perfectly set with midfielder Isaac Chhakchhuak forwarding the ball for Javi Hernandez. The Spanish playmaker played a one-two with Brazilian Jonathas de Jesus before slotting home a clinical left-footed finish at the top-left corner of the goal giving Chennaiyin custodian Debjit Majumder absolutely no chance.
Both teams’ search for a lead in the first half didn’t bear any fruit and it was only six minutes after the change of sides that the hosts went ahead when Jonathas wrote his name on the scoresheet following some repeated failed attempts by his teammates at Chennaiyin goal from a melee.
However, the joy of keeping their nose ahead stayed only till the 69th minute when Lithuanian frontman Valskis brought parity for the second time in the match with a perfect header to beat the Juggernauts keeper Arshdeep Singh at right post from near the six-yard box.
Search for the winner came very few and far between in the last 20 minutes as the match ended all square to give the sides just a point each from the game, deterring their chances of making playoffs from here.
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